House echoes to foul exchanges

The public image of MPs took a battering from the disgraceful scenes witnessed in the House during the 52- day political crisis last year. Certain Parliamentarians seem completely oblivious to this however, as seen by the way they engaged in verbal insults using obscene language during the debate this week, even ignoring warnings that children were in the public gallery.

UPFA MP Mohan Priyadarshana De Silva and State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake got into an ugly verbal spat over the sale of MPs’ duty-free vehicle permits during the debate on the Expenditure Heads of the Ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms and the Ministry of Public Administration and Disaster Management, on Monday.

The spat had obscene references made by both MPs, with MP De Silva using a vulgar term to refer to Mr Ramanayake, for which he was censured by the Chair. Mr De Silva later withdrew the comment.

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya later expressed his regret and displeasure over the damage done to the reputation of Parliament by the two MPs using abusive language. He asked all MPs to behave responsibly and exemplarily, while ensuring the prestige of Parliament, and not resort to indecent and offensive language.

The Speaker’s appeals went unheeded, as on Friday, when another argument erupted between State Minister Ramanayake and UPFA MP Nimal Lanza. Mr Lanza used vulgar and sexually demeaning language to refer to the State Minister, alleging that he was also to blame for the current plight of ETI depositors.

Mr Ramanayake shot back, repeating an earlier allegation that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited Mr Lanza’s home hurriedly when he was President, to protect him when the STF carried out a drug raid on Mr Lanza’s home in Negombo.

UNP MP Velu Kumar, who was chairing the House at the time, repeatedly urged the MPs to be mindful of their language, but in vain. At the end of Mr Lanza’s speech, he ordered that all unparliamentary language be expunged from the Hansard.